Iraqi Shiite politicians at odds over Sharaa’s visit to Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran-aligned politicians and armed groups in Iraq have expressed strong opposition to the potential participation of Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in an upcoming Arab League summit, set to be held in Baghdad in May. They argue that there is an outstanding arrest warrant against Sharaa in Iraq due to his former ties to al-Qaeda.

The Islamic Dawa Party stated on Sunday that “the blood of Iraqis is not cheap so that those who shed it or violated its sanctity would be invited or welcomed in Baghdad.”

Of note, former prime minister and senior member of the Shiite-led Coordination, Nouri al-Maliki, was reelected as the Dawa Party’s secretary-general last week.

The party’s remarks came after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani held the first of its kind meeting with Sharaa in Qatar on Thursday.

The meeting came as Baghdad is set to host the 34th Arab League Summit on May 17.

During his participation at the Sulaimani Forum on Wednesday, Sudani confirmed that Sharaa had been invited to attend the key summit, however, his participation remains uncertain.

In its Sunday statement, the Dawa party additionally drew comparisons between Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over core crimes under international law.

“An approach similar [to that of the ICC] must be adopted in Iraq toward those who have committed heinous crimes against its people,” the Dawa Party noted, adding that the issue is a matter of “respect for Iraqi blood and the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the dignity and honor of this nation.”

For his part, Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iran-allied Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq armed group and another senior official from the Shiite-led Coordination Framework, on Saturday warned against Sharaa’s “premature” visit to Iraq. The US-sanctioned figure also cautioned that the visit would “lead to consequences, if the law is enforced and he [Sharaa] is arrested by security forces.”

Likewise, Abu Ali al-Askari, spokesperson for Kata’ib Hezbollah, another Iran-allied armed group, said on Saturday that the Arab summit "would surely not be cancelled over the absence” of Sharaa. Askari notably referred to the Syrian interim President by his former nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, which he seemingly abandoned after assuming his position.

In a subtle rebuttal to the critics of Sharaa’s visit to Iraq, National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji stated on Sunday that “political work is not assessed by sharp slogans, but by its adherence to the constitutional framework, commitment to the public interest, and fostering awareness over reactions.”

Sharaa came to power in late January after a coalition of opposition groups headed by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham he led, toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in early December.

While Sharaa was congratulated on his appointment by the majority of Arab countries, Iraq notably withheld support, highlighting its cautious stance vis-a-vis the new leadership in Damascus as well as the potential influence of Iran-aligned groups in Baghdad.

In a report it published in March, AFP cited several Iraqi security officials as confirming that an old arrest warrant for Sharaa remains in place from when he was a member of al-Qaeda.

Around that same time, the Financial Times reported in March that Sharaa was arrested by US forces in Iraq in 2005 and imprisoned at multiple detention centers, including Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca, west and south of Baghdad, respectively.

 

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